VOLKOV Alexander Nikolaevich

August 19, 1886 (New Margelan, Turkestan region) — December 17, 1957 (Tashkent)

Painter, graphic artist, scene-designer

Volkov was born to a family of general of the military-medical service. In 1888 his family moved to Kerki on the Afghan border. Volkov studied at secondary school in Tashkent (1897–1900), then — at Orenburg cadet corps, and at the faculty of physics and mathematics at the St. Petersburg University (1907–1908). At the same time he attended private art school of watercolorist David Bortniker in St. Petersburg (1906–1908).

In 1908 Volkov entered the Higher Art Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where he studied under Professor Vladimir Makovsky. In 1910–1912 he attended M. Bernstein studio, where his teachers were Ivan Bilibin, Leonid Shervud and Nikolai Rerikh.  In 1912 Volkov moved to Kiev, where he studied at an art school under Fyodor Krichevsky and Vladimir Menk (1912–1916). Since 1914 he participated in exhibitions (for the first time exposed his works at the exhibition at Kiev’s art school).

Since 1916 Volkov lived in Tashkent. He worked on the festive decoration of the city for the revolutionary holidays. He created a number of works (oil and watercolor): Water and Stones, Women in the background of Mausoleums (1915–1916), Sketches of the legends(1917–1919), East primitive (1918–1920), Mountain villages of Fergana, Teahouses of the Old City and others. He also created a new technique of applying tempera.

In 1931–1934 Volkov made a trip to Shakhimardan in order to gather material for his creative work. In 1930s he was accused of formalism.

Volkov was a member of the group Masters of New East (1928–1930) and the Association of Fine Arts Workers (ARIZO, 1930). He also was an organizer of the Volkov Brigade. He participated in exhibitions of the Association of the Artists of Revolutionary Russia in Tashkent (AKhRR, 1928), the exhibition Poster at the service of the five-year plan in Moscow (1932), Soviet art exhibition in Philadelphia (1934). His personal exhibitions were held in Tashkent (1920, 1921, 1923, 1944, 1956–1957) and in Moscow (1923).